


Hiccupin'

by Alphum



Series: One Piece Tumblr Prompts [2]
Category: One Piece
Genre: M/M, Tumblr Prompt, asshole devil's fruit users, intentional sort-of drowning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-15
Updated: 2017-08-15
Packaged: 2018-12-15 15:37:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11808984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alphum/pseuds/Alphum
Summary: "A curse is never easy to lift, hence the sole purpose of it"





	Hiccupin'

**Author's Note:**

> Drowning warning, notes for it at end!

“Well, as far as curses go, this one isn’t too bad?” Sabo offered Marco.  
Marco opened his mouth to retort but was interrupted by yet another hiccup.  
Sabo bit his lip and Marco could see the pity there. Marco’s non-stop hiccuping had stopped being funny about three hours ago. Izo had left fifteen minutes after that, citing his annoyance at the noise.  
If only he knew how annoying it was for him.  
Marco settled for giving Sabo an unimpressed look.  
Sabo shrugged. “Look on the bright side: you could be Koala. She hasn’t stopped itching since we got back to the ship. Iva actually put her to sleep with some of his hormones because she broke through the skin in a few places.”  
Marco gave a small shudder. He felt really terrible for her. “This still sucks.”  
“Of course.” Sabo sat next to him. “Here, come here.” He ordered, opening his arms up.  
Marco turned to throw a leg over his lap and snaked his arms under Sabo’s greatcoat to hug him snugly around the waist.  
Sabo settled his arms around Marco’s shoulders, rubbing his back soothingly.  
Marco hiccupped loudly again, the motion of it jarring them both. “I hate this.” He muttered. “It hurts.”  
Sabo winced in sympathy. “That’s rough.”  
“Thatch made me eat an entire jar of peanut butter.” Marco’s tone was salty.  
“To be fair, that usually works.” Sabo winced on his own merit as another hiccup jabbed Marco’s chin painfully into his collarbone.  
“A curse isn’t that easy to lift.” Marco hated how wistful he sounds.  
“That’s kind of what makes it a curse. It might be the sole purpose of a curse, even, to just be annoying as shit.” Sabo spoke wisely, though Marco is certain he’s only pulling out of his ass.  
Marco opened his mouth to speak again only for another hiccup to shake them both. He forgot what he was going to say. “It hurts.” He whined.  
“I’m sorry. I know.” One of Sabo’s hands moveed around to rub at his diaphragm as best he could.  
Marco huffed out another sigh, interrupting and lessening another hiccup.  
“Let’s hit the hay.” Sabo said, pushing gently at him until Marco moved. “Doc won’t be able to do anything more for you at this point.”  
“I won’t be able to sleep.” Marco predicted. “You should sleep separately from me.” He made for the door of the infirmary.  
“No way. We’re in this together.” Sabo tugged Marco down the halls of the Moby Dick, currently parked at a Fall island for some Revolutionary business and some Whitebeard Pirate asskicking commerce. He let them into Marco’s room and Marco’s chest warmed at the sight of Sabo making himself at home in his quarters. It was a warmth that not even a hiccup could squash.  
Marco tried to make for his couch but changed course at Sabo’s stink eye.  
Marco stripped down to his skivvies as Sabo changed much more slowly out of his clothes. He pulled on a tight tank top and soft, billowy pants. He favored them for sleeping and training, and served him well whenever he was attacked in sleep. He set his pipe against the wall next to the bed, well within reach before he slid into bed and aggressively spooned Marco from behind, cinching him tightly to his chest.  
“Now go to sleep.” He bossed.  
“Aye aye.” Marco smiles and laced all four of their hands together.  
There was a long, sweet moment of silence where Sabo snuggled closer and Marco relaxed into his hold. The only sounds they could hear were the waves against the hull and footsteps on the deck. He could almost believe that he could sleep before another hiccup wracked his frame, shaking the bed.  
Marco sighed and Sabo’s hold tightened, a warning against suggesting that Marco could sleep on the couch. They tried for an hour and a half to sleep like this before Sabo’s patience ran thin. He retracted his arms from Marco’s waist and pressed a kiss to his shoulder. “I’m sorry.” He whispered in the darkness of the room.  
“You need to sleep. It’s okay.” Marco hated himself for being in the path of the stupid curse. Neither his self-hatred nor his reassurances to Sabo made it easier for him to watch Sabo turn his back to him and try to settle into sleep. Only their feet were touching, where Sabo shoved a leg between Marco’s in an effort to comfort him.  
Despite Marco’s hiccups shaking the bed every twenty seconds like clockwork, Sabo slipped swiftly into sleep. Marco knew because he was doing that not-quite snore of his. It was more like loud mouth breathing, and he was probably starting to drool already.  
Marco hiccupped his way through what was left of the night and rose early. If he wasn’t going to be sleeping, he could at least be productive.  
There were several of them that had been struck by different curses. Marco with his hiccups, Koala with her itching, Vista with an inability to lie, and Thatch with mumbling. Marco joined a paste-smeared Koala and a glowering Vista at breakfast.  
“How’s it going?” He asks automatically, as soon as a hiccup has cleared.  
“Shitty.” Vista blurted and Marco winced.  
“I’m going to find that asshole and rip her apart.” Koala grumbled menacingly, stabbing her grapefruit with far more energy than was necessary.  
Marco choked when he hiccupped while trying to swallow his oatmeal and had to be rescued by Thatch.  
This set the tone for the next few days. He had to do everything carefully, even eating, for fear that a hiccup would cause him to choke or smear ink or drop a stack of crates. Anything, really. He couldn’t sleep at night and spent his nights either picking up extra watch shifts or watching Sabo sleep while trying his best not to shake the bed.  
Sabo was mad at him for working himself so hard, but Marco could see no solutions and wanted to be useful. So, this way, he found that he and Sabo were drifting apart, their relationship growing strained through no fault of his own. The bags under Marco’s eyes were growing exponentially in relation to how long he forced himself to work and how long he forced himself to try to sleep, but nothing worked.  
Everything changed on a Thursday when Haruta, Izo, and Namur returned with bloody weapons and fists. Izo collected the four that were afflicted and explained the cure.  
“So we just take a dip and we’re cured?” Koala’s mouth was twisted with more than a little anger.  
“It’s a little more extreme than that, but yes.”  
“We only have to drown you a little bit.” Namur offered, trying to be soothing.  
“I’m sorry, what?” Koala gaped at the same time that Vista blurted “I beg your pardon?”  
“Pair off.” Namur ordered, gesturing to himself, Izo, Haruta, and Sabo.  
Koala and Marco squinted at each other before Sabo rolled his eyes and went to stand by Marco. “Sorry Koala.” He shrugged, completely apologetic.  
“You ass!” She groaned but went to stand by Namur. Thatch, predictably, went to stand by Izo, leaving Vista to clap Haruta on the shoulder.  
Thatch mumbled something and Izo leaned in close to try and hear. He nodded. “Yes, this is the only way. We’re sure.”  
Thatch grimaced, much like Marco wanted to.  
Instead, he stepped up onto the railing.  
“I got you.” Sabo stepped up next to him, already divested of all of his clothes besides shirt and pants. He smiled.  
Marco shucked his jacket, but didn’t bother with his sandals. “I know.” Marco took his hand and gripped it tightly.  
They jumped together and Sabo immediately swam deeper, towing Marco with him. Several hiccups wracked Marco’s frame all at once and he began to gag as he inhaled water more with each one. Sabo looked pained as he watched him choke at the end of his arms. Marco scrabbled at Sabo’s arms and Sabo pulled him closer, into them. He hugged him firmly as they drifted in the water.  
Marco’s vision started to go hazy and he glanced over Sabo’s shoulders to see similar struggles. Izo clutching Thatch for dear life. Koala kicking against Namur as she tried to reach the surface. Haruta restraining Vista’s arms behind his back to keep him from fighting.  
Marco’s vision faded before he could look back to Sabo as his head began to pound. He woke back up completely disoriented, squinting from the sun and coughing up seawater, with Sabo inches away from his face.  
“Did it work?” Izo was standing there too, looking distinctly unimpressed. He was also sopping wet and his makeup was running, so Marco was fairly sure that Izo wasn’t pissed at him.  
Marco put a hand to his chest, trying to see if anything felt different.  
“Looks like it.” Namur reported from his station by a shivering Koala.  
Thatch caught Izo in a bear hug, rubbing his cheek against him like a cat. “I can talk again!”  
“Great, now get off me.” Izo wiggled. “I still need to check on Vista and Marco.”  
“I think so.” Marco interjected. He glanced at Sabo. “Did I at all when I was out?”  
“No.” Sabo shook his head. “Come on, let’s get you to the infirmary.”  
“I’m fine.” Marco tried to say, but interrupted himself by coughing. He’d been terrified for a fraction of a moment that he was about to hiccup. He coughed up several more mouthfuls of seawater on the way but stood at the door petulantly. “I just want to sleep. I’ll be fine once my healing powers kick in.”  
“Healing? What for?” Sabo asked instantly.  
“My chest hurts.” He waved a hand. “It’s fine. I’ll be fine.” He repeated. He felt hazy and disoriented.  
Sabo’s eyes softened. “That’d be from the CPR. Okay. Let’s just go to your room.”  
“Our room.” Marco corrected fuzzily, coughing again. “CPR?”  
“I was a little too thorough, I guess? Namur had to do Koala twice, he didn’t keep her under long enough the first time.” He grimaced. “I probably broke a few ribs in the resuscitation. I’m sorry.”  
“It’s fine.” Marco said again, entering his room and immediately shedding what remained of his clothes. He grabbed a discarded towel and swiped it over himself until blue flames blossomed into life along his arms and chest, healing him from the outside in. He coughed more as the flames purged the remaining water from his lungs and his chest itched as the ribs fused back together. He shivered and crawled into bed.  
“Cold?” Sabo asked, toweling his hair.  
Marco nodded sleepily.  
“Better?” He asked.  
Marco nodded again.  
“Glad?” He hesitated at the edge of the bed.  
Marco nodded a third time. “Come to bed.”  
Sabo crawled in instantly. “I was worried.” He admitted against Marco’s chest.  
“So was I.” Marco murmured. “I was worried you were getting fed up with me.”  
Sabo barked out a short laugh. “You know how much I eat.” He joked.  
Marco’s mouth quirked into a smile. “Good.”  
“I was worried you wouldn’t want me here anymore. I know it was just the hiccup thing but…”  
“I’ll always want to sleep with you.” Marco smirked slightly when Sabo smacked his chest with a laugh. “Really.” Marco yawned widely. “I just wanted you to get some sleep. I know how busy you are with the Army.”  
“I wanted you to sleep too. I wish you could’ve.” Sabo pressed a kiss to Marco’s sternum.  
“Now I can.” Marco could feel the residual adrenaline from almost drowning fading away, leaving him drained from the last few days with no sleep. He buried his face in Sabo’s damp hair and was out like a light.  
Sabo hummed contentedly.

**Author's Note:**

> Drowning warning: they gotta drown the people affected by the curse, though only to the point of unconsciousness. I was a little explicit/descriptive with it.  
> Explanation being: Water cancels out devil's fruit powers, but the curse attaches to the affected and uses their life force as fuel, so by drowning to the point of unconsciousness, the curse releases  
> I'm on [tumblr](http://inaweofdiana.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
